This picture spoke to me on so many levels. I love the way these two look out for each other. Clara makes sure little bro is doing well at preschool. She shares her treat with him. She bosses him when he needs it. Charlie looks to Clara - just like his daddy looked to his big sister for cues about life years ago when they were this age.
Don't we all need that person to come alongside us to give us their hand and show us how we do life?
I watch these two -- play, compete with each other and look out for one another. Jack will quickly do what Sydney tells him to before any of the rest of us. She loves being his "life coach".
This reminds me of a well-known passage:
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor: Eccl. 4:9
This young lady is growing up so quickly. Being big sister, she "mothers Jack" and teams up with Sydney for sister time.
Passages of scripture speak of suffering. C. S. Lewis wrote a narrative on the problem of pain. I have received so much help from authors who explained suffering from their life experiences and cited what God taught them in the process. I go back to 1 Peter 5 from time to time. I remember passages about weak knees.
Jesus tells us in this world we'll have tribulation (hard times) but reminds we will overcome.
It is times like these that as the pit gets deep, we know God goes deeper still. Our prayers recently have been for God to take us deeper in Him. There's a book entitled "dark night of the soul". I've not read it -- but I think that title describes long nights of pain.
I watch my man go through days of intense joint pain that at times is debilitating to the point that walking becomes a problem.
Our past two months have been a cycle of prescription changes, reducing the strength of pain meds, insurance refusals and in all of it -- we felt this is in God's plan to bring better health in the long run. We have been encouraged by our new pain physician, Dr. Brian Torgerson.
While on vacation, Terry knew this change was a real possibility as we battled the insurance company -- so he prepared himself spiritually, physically and emotionally. We have tried to simplify our lives and minimize his stress.
Sometimes it is difficult to understand as I watch Terry struggle with flu-like symptoms, fatigue, blurry vision, nausea and sleepless nights 2-3 times a week with intense pain. Just as it looks like we have it all behind us -- there is another medicine reduction and the cycle starts again.
Today Terry got his last reduction from the extended release med -- we are gearing up and setting our minds toward this transition.
However, a new medication was added today and our prayers are that the new pain patch will be effective in ways the other medication wasn't. Our hope is rising for relief and better health in the months to come.
